The 61 department chairs at City College of San Francisco are keeping their jobs but taking large pay cuts under a tentative labor agreement.

The agreement, if approved by the Department Chair Council and the board of trustees, would reduce the school’s costs by more than $1 million annually.

Darlene Alioto, president of the council and chairwoman of the social sciences department, said taking the pay cut is telling.

“It shows how committed they are to students and the broader college community,” she said. “I’m so proud that the membership would accept these substantial cuts in compensation but maintain their role as chair.”

City College officials declined to comment on the agreement.

The agreement is one of several ongoing negotiations between CCSF officials and labor groups. The discussions are aimed at getting finances under control following last year’s scathing report from the Accrediting Commission for Junior and Community Colleges and financial review from the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team.

In both cases, CCSF was criticized for its budgetary practices and spending on employee pay and benefits, which account for nearly 92 percent of the budget.

Negotiations with labor groups began last fall. Teachers already have taken an 8.8 percent pay cut, and 34 were laid off.

As part of the restructuring, the administration had looked to reduce the number of department chairs and shift much of their responsibilities to the newly created dean positions. But chairs argued against the reductions, saying they help preserve academic integrity.

“We’ll be doing the job with fewer resources and a lot less compensation,” Alioto said. “But we hope that by doing that, it will allow the chairs to continue to play a critical role in the college. We’ve always brought stability, and we hope this agreement will enable us to continue to do that.”